SJ30 deliveries to resume soon, as light jet gets back on track

Emivest Aerospace, which is represented here at EBACE by UK-based distributor Action Aviation (static display), appears to be getting the SJ30 light jet program back on its feet. SJ30 Serial No. 008, the first aircraft built under the Emivest name since the Dubai-based firm became the majority shareholder of the San Antonio, Texas-based aircraft manufacturer last June, is slated to make its first flight this week before being completed and delivered this summer, the company said. That unnamed customer’s pilot, Debra Draheim, was also recently issued a single-pilot type rating for the SJ30.

“We look forward to the delivery of their aircraft so they can begin enjoying the speed, range and comfort that the SJ30 offers,” said Emivest Aerospace COO Joe Gullion. “This also marks the beginning of a new era for Emivest as we move into production.”

Meanwhile, S/N 010 is about a month behind S/N 008, meaning it is scheduled to fly next month and be delivered to its owner–actor and pilot Morgan Freeman– “later this summer,” a spokesman told EBACE Convention News. S/N 009 is being built out of sequence for an unspecified reason, he said, and will be handed over to its owner later this year.

The spokesman wouldn’t disclose the SJ30 production rate plans for next year, though he said Emivest Aerospace has sold positions for the $7.25 million (2009 $) light jet into 2011.